The Documentary

_ For as long as I can remember, I've found magic in movies - especially documentaries. However, I've always found that effective documentaries are few and far between. Many are overly earnest in the points they make, others rely on a plea to emotions to cause the viewer to feel guilty, and even more strike up a narrative that results in a final product that is less about the subject of the documentary and more about the point of view of the documentarian. To make impartial, honest, and inspiring documentaries that still hold the viewer's interest and broaden their world view was one of the main reasons why I pursued film school. After four years of education at Chapman University, and with a BA in Screenwriting, I feel well-equipped to make just such a documentary about this journey. Here's my vision:Step 1. Brainstorming: Compiling a list of thoughtful, genuine, and curious questions with which to ask those interviewed is the foundation of a compelling narrative. It has been my experience that some documentaries focusing on individuals in poverty or war regions do one of two things: a) the questions are too superficial, and don't provide the audience with actual insight into the human condition, which does not result in suggestions for positive actions the viewer can take (if you don't know in what way to help, how can you?) or b) are too on the nose and pacify the audience with a sense of guilt. I plan on avoiding these two pitfalls by culling an exhaustive list of questions that will give people a full understanding of the situation, allowing the children and care takers interviewed to express in a genuine way how people can help and make the most real difference, and providing the audience with an easy roadmap to positive measures that will help make a lasting impact on the lives of orphaned children around the world. Step 2. Executing: Of course, all the questions under the sun will be for naught if the filming of the documentary itself is below par, or if footage gets lots in the ether. To ensure neither of these scenarios happen, I will be taking the following steps. a) I will tirelessly travel to places off the beaten path to capture unique footage of the cultures in each country, incorporating angles and filming techniques that add to the quality of the material. b) Filming redundant footage when needed to make certain that we have more than enough when it comes time to edit. c) Backing up all footage and audio to external harddrives and cloud servers daily.

Step 3. Editing: Though sifting through hundreds of hours of footage and source material will be a laborious process, it will indeed be a labor of love. I will be focusing on one country at a time so that proper focus is given to every area. Having an outline to follow will split up the tasks into bite-sized chunks and make the work much more manageable. It will also see to the finishing product is compelling in vision and scope.

Step 4. Releasing: The documentary will be made available online through multiple parts on YouTube, as well as pressed into a professional DVD, made for sale online and in local stores. Finally, all net profits from the project will be donated back to the orphanages depicted in the documentary. Through this effort, a steady cash-flow will continue to be donated to the orphanages year after year.